The day after he arrived in Galwark Kingdom, he was led by four government officials of Galwark Kingdom to inspect the mansion Francois had given him. And, he was closely followed by Charlotte, Christina, Flora, Liselotte, Celia, and Satsuki, these six ladies by his sides.
The mansion was located close to the Royal Capital, right in the middle of the most prominent position in the noble district. Furthermore, it was close to the detached Royal Capital villa of Duke Kretia.
Although the mansion was being granted to him on a pretense for his deed in saving Princess Flora and Christina, the reward itself told people just how much Francois valued Rio as a person. One needed only to look at the location to know this fact.
「Oh my, that’s quite a nice garden, no. It surely will be a nice place for one to enjoy a tea party during a nice day…that’s right. Haruto-sama, shall we go around the garden first?」
Charlotte said, closing into Rio’s side as soon as they entered the mansion’s garden. Although she was much closer than normal, thankfully it was not to the point she was glued to him. It was just, they were close enough for their shoulders to touch each other.
「Yes, nice idea.」
Rio himself only replied to her normally despite noticing her closeness. It was as if he wasn’t particularly concerned about her actions. Anyway, she had glued herself even closer during that Evening Party a while ago, so her current distance to him was not really a problem. Besides, she was a Royal. He couldn’t say anything much to her actions, so he just kept his silence since he didn’t feel like giving an awkward amonishion for her getting too close to him. It’d probably make things worse anyhow.
Meanwhile, both Satsuki and Liselotte already had their chances walking with their arms linked with Rio’s own during the Evening Party, so their current reaction while looking at the scene that was playing before them was only to heave a sigh. However――,
Too, close…
Those who came from Rodania were surprised. And Celia even more so felt this feeling deep in her heart. After all, though she knew, from what she could gleaned from yesterday’s conversation, that Charlotte and Rio had a favorable relationship with each other, she had never expected that this would happen. That a girl, moreover, on top of that a girl who’s also a royalty, would be allowed to get so close with a member of the opposite gender. Thus, the sight of the two walking together with linked arms made her eyes turn into dots. [TL : Please throw me a bone here, this chapter is really hard to TL (T^T)]
It was not only Celia. Even Christina was at least as shocked as her, seeing how close Charlotte was being with Rio. On the other hand, while Flora did attend the Evening Party, at that time she was accompanying Hiroaki most of the time, so she hadn’t seen such a scene and had never known that Charlotte had put her body close to Rio before. As such, her expression plainly showed her shock as she misunderstood their relationship, seeing more into it when she saw how close Charlotte and Rio’s body were.
「You really treat Haruto-kun like your big brother aren’t you, Char-chan.」
At this time, unintentionally or intentionally, Satsuki spoke with a wry smile. As if she was telling Celia and the others to not read into this too much.
「Is that so？Speaking of dear brother, I do remember that you’re quite close with Michael….」
Christina said bemusedly, thinking that even though she had a good relationship with her blood-related brother, she might have yearned for a brother-like figure from someone who was not a blood relation to her. [ED: Who…is she speaking to?! Charlotte?! Satsuki?! Herself?!][TL : Charlotte]
「Of course it is so, I really long for my dearest brother Michael to be here as well.」
Charlotte suddenly turned around and joined in the conversation between Satsuki and the others without a warning, perhaps because she heard what Christina had just said.
「Then, do you mean you yearn for Lord Amakawa the way you yearn for your blood-related brother?」
Christina asked, trying to uncover her real intention, using an innocuous question.
「I am indebted to Haruto-sama for subduing the burglars during the Evening Party. Thus, from then on, I see him as an extremely trustworthy and gallant figure. I mean, don’t you think that someone, who has mastered martial arts and managed to take down soldiers with long military services easily, at such a young age is worthy of respect?」
Charlotte sang praises to Rio without holding back, and with no hesitation while simultaneously dodging the question.
「Certainly, aside from Lord Amakawa, there is no other youth that has shown that much talent. If I am to judge, he’ll get the full points especially in regards to his maturity level, unlike the other boys around his age who, at best, is still only half as mature as him.」
While it is conventional for humans to be considered as an adult at the age of 15 years old in this world, it absolutely didn’t mean that they were fully matured at that age.
「Right? Haruto-sama is also an extremely attractive man and on top of that, he is also a truly humble gentleman at heart.」
With each word spoken, Charlotte leaned even closer to Rio, smiling impishly all along.
「…. Please allow me to say this again, uhm, don’t you think that gluing yourself so close to me like this will cause a misunderstanding from the bystanders.」
Rio heaved a sigh before he told Charlotte his point of view, face reddening slightly in embarrassment.
「Just let them misunderstand. It’s fine. I’ll take care of the repercussions.」
Charlotte spoke with a lovely voice that was pleasant to the ears.
「Even so, this won’t be a good thing to be seen by His Majesty. Am I wrong?」
「No problem. My dear father is someone who prioritizes ability over pedigree. Though, of course, authority also plays an important part, it isn’t the be all and end all of my dear father’s consideration. That’s why he will never take an extremely talented person lightly. Besides, you had heard what he said before right? This mansion is given to you for the sake of touring outside with Satsuki-sama. Apart from that, I think that the mansion will be a wonderful place should Haruto-sama live inside it. That just might make me want to visit you everyday, you know?」
Rio’s attempt to block her action by bringing Francois, the King’s name, against Charlotte was deflected by her. Instead, she used that to counter his argument. Thankfully, at this point, Satsuki interrupted their conversation.
「Hohoho Charl-chan, I think you’ll trouble Haruto-kun if you visit him everyday.」
「Oops, naturally I’ll come with Satsuki-sama everytime I come for a visit.」
「W-Well, I guess it’s okay to come once in a while as long as we won’t trouble him, but…」
Satsuki was almost defeated by Charlotte’s words. From their words, it seemed that, as long as Rio’s house was nearby, she’d go there in the name of ‘standard’ inspection.
「However, if Satsuki-sama is not willing to accompany me everyday…then I guess I’m going to visit him…every night instead. Or, better yet, I might as well stay over the night.」
Charlotte then added, smiling an alluring smile that didn’t befit her age as she spoke those lines.
「That’s why, please do it in moderation since you’ll do it everyday, H-a-r-u-t-o-s-a-m-a. Since, well, you know, it’ll be night visits…」
「Oh my, speaking of a night tryst between opposite gender who are of age…doesn’t that sound like something that comes out of romance books or love drama?」
「No, it’s exactly because it’s a romance story or love drama. Moreover, I have never said that it’ll be me who is coming for a night visit here.」
At that point, Satsuki’s cheek had turned alarmingly red in embarrassment. [TL : Oh god, please spare me of this damned chapter which is so hard to translate. ED: I don’t get it. I don’t get the flow. Like. AT ALL.]
「Fufufu, I’m joking though. I am a princess after all. Naturally since I’ve no fiancee, there’s no way I’ll be allowed to come by myself to visit a gentleman’s mansion. But, it’s another story entirely if it’s Satsuki-sama who wished for a night visit though. You’ve no need to hold back in this matter.」
「… Geez.」
Satsuki pouted at Charlotte’s declaration. And, at the moment, she didn’t dare to lock gaze with Rio, so as soon as her eyes met his, she’d averted her gaze.
Cha-Charlotte-sama’s atmosphere was the exact opposite of Flora-sama and Christina-sama. Well, there’s a fact that she’s still 14 years old, but still…
While all these were going on, Celia was observing Charlotte and Satsuki’s interaction when they were in Rio’s vicinity. Her smile when she observed Charlotte’s naivety was not an awkward one. Instead it was filled with dry humour. Even Christina was watching the exchange with a wry smile on her face. Just like what Celia did. On the other hand, Flora was different. Instead of smiling at Charlotte’s antics, she looked at Satsuki with a slightly envious gaze, taking every word said as the truth.
「Charlotte-sama is indeed that kind of a person. She possesses a flexible train of thought that was unbefitting of her upbringing as a royalty. And, since she’s like that, I was also raised in the same way since my childhood. We often used that weapon to trick someone. Just like what she did to Satsuki-sama just now.」
Liselotte heaved a sigh before telling that fact to Celia and the others.
「Oh my, if it’s in regard to flexible train of thought unbefitting of one upbringing, I feel that Liselotte is more abnormal than me. I am after all a royalty, a bird in the cage called a royal castle. I can’t even leave this castle by my own will. I can’t even decide whom I am going to get engaged to, nor can I fly flying around visiting every place like Liselotte.」
Hearing her remark about her, Charlotte turned around and responded.
「Ahaha …… 」
At that verbal attack, Liselotte could only smile awkwardly, since she couldn’t retaliate in fear of exposing a gap that might be taken advantage of by Charlotte.
「Liselotte-sama can decide her own fiancee? 」
Celia tilted her head as if she wasn’t sure of what she heard.
「Ye, yes. I’m deemed to be able to decide my own fiancee by my family since I managed to induce rapid growth of Almond and creating a thriving business in Rikka’s firm.」
After Satsuki, it was Liselotte’s turn to be showered by the Princesses attention. Unable to divert the attention to someone else, at the end she could only nod her head, feeling awkward.
「It was for those reason that Liselotte graduate from our kingdom’s Royal Academy by skipping grade you see.」
「I-It’s not just for that you kn-…..」
Liselotte’s word faltered when Charlotte brought up that subject. After all, at that time, just showing a good score and skipping grades wasn’t enough for her to alter her fate. She needed to show real results in a specific skill in order to do it. Then again, it wasn’t something that just anyone could do. In fact, it could be said that she was one of the rare women who were able to do it.
「Yes, speaking of skipping grade, I heard that Celia-san also graduated from Bertram Royal Academy by skipping grade. Since you also have brilliant achievements, hearsay though it might be in here, you should have the freedom to choose your own fiancee, right?」
Charlotte turned to ask Celia. Truthfully speaking, while such a case where a noble girl was able to freely choose their own marriage partner had never happened, as a woman who left such brilliant research results, she should have received VIP treatment in that regard.
「I was, more or less, allowed to have such freedom. But due to the drastic change in our kingdom, I’m forced to leave and couldn’t get in touch with my parent at home…」
「Well, you do have your own circumstances. So, should you choose to marry right now, it doesn’t mean that you’re tied in a marriage without your parents’ permission, correct? At any rate, it’s not like you can wait until the situation has calmed down. I mean, it’s not a good thing for a young woman to forgo their marriage…do you have a specific person in mind? 」
Charlotte asked, understanding Celia’s situation.
「EH, No, that is, Ahaha…. W-What should I do? 」
For a moment, Celia’s gaze turned to Rio before wandering away immediately. She tried to think up an answer for Charlotte’s question, but in the end she was unable to, puzzled.
「……. I see. Well, I guess it’s rude for me to intrude on such matters. I mean, there’s a saying that a woman is more charming if they’ve at least one secret. Don’t you think so, Haruto-sama? 」
Charlotte once again showed a mischievous smile as she glued herself to Rio. Meanwhile, Rio, who wanted to spontaneously agree with her words just now, looked at the girls around him. With him being in such a delicate situation as the sole man amongst the girls…
「Uhm, yes.」
He ended up agreeing, despite being quite awkward with his answer.
「That’s wonderful. I’m going to use this information as my future reference. Ah, it seems that we’re about to finish our walk around the garden…shall we enter the mansion now?」
Charlotte was smiling from ear to ear as she urged the others to enter the mansion. Soon, after checking the mansion’s interior and finding no fault or problem with the establishment, the mansion was publicly announced as Haruto Amakawa’s residence. [TL : I hate this chapter, I hate loli called Charlotte, I hate chapter with royalty discussion, I hate the fact that there’s no update for the raw in this last 6 month. ED: No worries, I loathe it too. With passion in fact.]
◇ ◇ ◇
That night, Satsuki invited Rio and Celia to a dinner with just the three of them in her private room. Both of them were sitting side by side while facing Satsuki who was sitting in front of them.
「Are you sure you want me here? I might just become a third wheel here…」
Celia asked after she sat on the prepared chair.
「Yes, I heard from Haruto-kun that you’re his benefactor, that’s why there’s something that I absolutely have to ask.」
Satsuki replied with a smile.
「The truth is, did you realize that you guys had met once before? 」
Rio suddenly asked to start the conversation.
「EH? Is that so? I do feels that way but….」
Satsuki was looking at Celia’s face, tilting her head with confusion etched all over her face.
「You have met her once before; during the evening party when you visited my Rock House, do you remember now?」
As she recalled it, the one she met in the Rock House aside from Miharu and co were Celia, who at that time was using her alias, and Aisia.
「When I visited your Rock House…. AH! Eh, Eh, EEEH…. B-But, her hair color is… And I’m sure that her name is Cecilia-san.」
It seems Satsuki did remember Celia. Though she did have to stare at Celia’s face for a while to properly remember her. Then again, it might be because she was puzzled since Celia’s eye colors were different than the one in her memories.
「You should be able to guess Celia’s current situation during the conversation with Your Majesty Francois, right?」
「Yes. He said that you left the kingdom with Princess Christina’s help when they tried to force you into a political marriage…」
「This is a secret, but that is what they explained to outsiders. In fact, she was under my custody right now. However, at that time you two met, I didn’t have the chance to explain her situation properly. That’s why I told her to use her alias and to disguise herself with a special magic tool to prevent anyone from recognizing her. Moreover, I’ve also told her about my previous life.」
Rio said, explaining Celia’s situation and the reason for the deception briefly.
「I see, so that’s the case…」
When she heard Rio’s last sentence, Satsuki felt just how much trust Rio had placed on Celia.
「Well, now, where shall we start our conversation? Erm, while it feels rather awkward to do this again…anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you once again, Celia-san.」
「Yes, likewise.」
Celia and Satsuki exchanged a slightly awkward greeting. Before long though, they threw pleasantries to one another as they enjoyed their dinner. After they were finished with the dinner though――,
「Since she knows about your previous life, there’s something that I want to ask Celia too… only if you allowed me though, Haruto-kun.」
Satsuki broke the ice while she looked at Celia.
「About what matters? 」
Rio wondered curiously.
「About Miharu-chan and the others.」
Satsuki told him frankly.
「…. Right. I think Celia won’t mind it.」
At that, Rio smiled wryly. Despite that though, he still agreed with her, already having some guesses to some extent.
「Let’s start right away then, but before that….what do you think about Miharu and the others when Rio wasn’t in front of them? 」
Satsuki asked Celia.
「I…. Am not in the royal castle at that time, so I have no way to know the details aside from what I heard from Haruto, but…」
Celia stalled――shooting a worried look as she spoke.
「In regard to Aki and Masato, I can somehow understand their reason, especially in Aki’s case, of wanting to go since their brother is… The hero of Saint Stella.」
「Yes, I feel the same way, but…」
However, it seemed to Rio that Satsuki wasn’t satisfied with just that.
「Moreover, Hero Satsuki-sama aside, don’t you think you should meet them again? As part of the nobility that you’ve become, I mean. While it may make them feel lonely, they should be able to understand that when one joins into the societies of royalties and nobility, it would be impossible for you to be together with them all day long. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to be separated forever after all. However, if they still insisted on their opinion, then I will respect their choice. I mean…I understand how it feels to want to meet with your families who are separated from you after all.」
When Celia expressed her opinion, Satsuki began to look suspicious. And with every passing word from Celia, that suspicion grew.
「Meeting again..? If it’s Haruto-kun and…final farewell? Hey, Haruto-kun, could it be…you didn’t explain the most fundamental matter to her?」
Satsuki sent a glance at Rio.
「I think I have told her the most fundamental matter but….」
Rio averted his line of sight awkwardly.
「What do you mean? 」
Celia asked, looking back and forth at the two of them, puzzled.
「You see, Miharu-chan and the others just disappear without telling Haruto-kun or I anything. Moreover, she left a verbal message saying that she don’t want to meet Haruto-kun.」
Satsuki told Celia the summary of THAT day’s event.
「EH, SERIOUSLY! ? 」
Celia unconsciously shouted, dumbfounded. She turned to look at Rio, as if asking him what exactly does that mean.
「Uhm… how should I say, I didn’t tell you about this matter since I don’t want to make you, who is already worried about your family, become even more worried…」
Rio said, dodging the question.
The day after he arrived in Galwark Kingdom, he was led by four government officials of Galwark Kingdom to inspect the mansion Francois had given him. And, he was closely followed by Charlotte, Christina, Flora, Liselotte, Celia, and Satsuki, these six ladies by his sides.
The mansion was located close to the Royal Capital, right in the middle of the most prominent position in the noble district. Furthermore, it was close to the detached Royal Capital villa of Duke Kretia.
Although the mansion was being granted to him on a pretense for his deed in saving Princess Flora and Christina, the reward itself told people just how much Francois valued Rio as a person. One needed only to look at the location to know this fact.
「Oh my, that’s quite a nice garden, no. It surely will be a nice place for one to enjoy a tea party during a nice day…that’s right. Haruto-sama, shall we go around the garden first?」
Charlotte said, closing into Rio’s side as soon as they entered the mansion’s garden. Although she was much closer than normal, thankfully it was not to the point she was glued to him. It was just, they were close enough for their shoulders to touch each other.
「Yes, nice idea.」
Rio himself only replied to her normally despite noticing her closeness. It was as if he wasn’t particularly concerned about her actions. Anyway, she had glued herself even closer during that Evening Party a while ago, so her current distance to him was not really a problem. Besides, she was a Royal. He couldn’t say anything much to her actions, so he just kept his silence since he didn’t feel like giving an awkward amonishion for her getting too close to him. It’d probably make things worse anyhow.
Meanwhile, both Satsuki and Liselotte already had their chances walking with their arms linked with Rio’s own during the Evening Party, so their current reaction while looking at the scene that was playing before them was only to heave a sigh. However――,
Too, close…
Those who came from Rodania were surprised. And Celia even more so felt this feeling deep in her heart. After all, though she knew, from what she could gleaned from yesterday’s conversation, that Charlotte and Rio had a favorable relationship with each other, she had never expected that this would happen. That a girl, moreover, on top of that a girl who’s also a royalty, would be allowed to get so close with a member of the opposite gender. Thus, the sight of the two walking together with linked arms made her eyes turn into dots. [TL : Please throw me a bone here, this chapter is really hard to TL (T^T)]
It was not only Celia. Even Christina was at least as shocked as her, seeing how close Charlotte was being with Rio. On the other hand, while Flora did attend the Evening Party, at that time she was accompanying Hiroaki most of the time, so she hadn’t seen such a scene and had never known that Charlotte had put her body close to Rio before. As such, her expression plainly showed her shock as she misunderstood their relationship, seeing more into it when she saw how close Charlotte and Rio’s body were.
「You really treat Haruto-kun like your big brother aren’t you, Char-chan.」
At this time, unintentionally or intentionally, Satsuki spoke with a wry smile. As if she was telling Celia and the others to not read into this too much.
「Is that so？Speaking of dear brother, I do remember that you’re quite close with Michael….」
Christina said bemusedly, thinking that even though she had a good relationship with her blood-related brother, she might have yearned for a brother-like figure from someone who was not a blood relation to her. [ED: Who…is she speaking to?! Charlotte?! Satsuki?! Herself?!][TL : Charlotte]
「Of course it is so, I really long for my dearest brother Michael to be here as well.」
Charlotte suddenly turned around and joined in the conversation between Satsuki and the others without a warning, perhaps because she heard what Christina had just said.
「Then, do you mean you yearn for Lord Amakawa the way you yearn for your blood-related brother?」
Christina asked, trying to uncover her real intention, using an innocuous question.
「I am indebted to Haruto-sama for subduing the burglars during the Evening Party. Thus, from then on, I see him as an extremely trustworthy and gallant figure. I mean, don’t you think that someone, who has mastered martial arts and managed to take down soldiers with long military services easily, at such a young age is worthy of respect?」
Charlotte sang praises to Rio without holding back, and with no hesitation while simultaneously dodging the question.
「Certainly, aside from Lord Amakawa, there is no other youth that has shown that much talent. If I am to judge, he’ll get the full points especially in regards to his maturity level, unlike the other boys around his age who, at best, is still only half as mature as him.」
While it is conventional for humans to be considered as an adult at the age of 15 years old in this world, it absolutely didn’t mean that they were fully matured at that age.
「Right? Haruto-sama is also an extremely attractive man and on top of that, he is also a truly humble gentleman at heart.」
With each word spoken, Charlotte leaned even closer to Rio, smiling impishly all along.
「…. Please allow me to say this again, uhm, don’t you think that gluing yourself so close to me like this will cause a misunderstanding from the bystanders.」
Rio heaved a sigh before he told Charlotte his point of view, face reddening slightly in embarrassment.
「Just let them misunderstand. It’s fine. I’ll take care of the repercussions.」
Charlotte spoke with a lovely voice that was pleasant to the ears.
「Even so, this won’t be a good thing to be seen by His Majesty. Am I wrong?」
「No problem. My dear father is someone who prioritizes ability over pedigree. Though, of course, authority also plays an important part, it isn’t the be all and end all of my dear father’s consideration. That’s why he will never take an extremely talented person lightly. Besides, you had heard what he said before right? This mansion is given to you for the sake of touring outside with Satsuki-sama. Apart from that, I think that the mansion will be a wonderful place should Haruto-sama live inside it. That just might make me want to visit you everyday, you know?」
Rio’s attempt to block her action by bringing Francois, the King’s name, against Charlotte was deflected by her. Instead, she used that to counter his argument. Thankfully, at this point, Satsuki interrupted their conversation.
「Hohoho Charl-chan, I think you’ll trouble Haruto-kun if you visit him everyday.」
「Oops, naturally I’ll come with Satsuki-sama everytime I come for a visit.」
「W-Well, I guess it’s okay to come once in a while as long as we won’t trouble him, but…」
Satsuki was almost defeated by Charlotte’s words. From their words, it seemed that, as long as Rio’s house was nearby, she’d go there in the name of ‘standard’ inspection.
「However, if Satsuki-sama is not willing to accompany me everyday…then I guess I’m going to visit him…every night instead. Or, better yet, I might as well stay over the night.」
Charlotte then added, smiling an alluring smile that didn’t befit her age as she spoke those lines.
「That’s why, please do it in moderation since you’ll do it everyday, H-a-r-u-t-o-s-a-m-a. Since, well, you know, it’ll be night visits…」
「Oh my, speaking of a night tryst between opposite gender who are of age…doesn’t that sound like something that comes out of romance books or love drama?」
「No, it’s exactly because it’s a romance story or love drama. Moreover, I have never said that it’ll be me who is coming for a night visit here.」
At that point, Satsuki’s cheek had turned alarmingly red in embarrassment. [TL : Oh god, please spare me of this damned chapter which is so hard to translate. ED: I don’t get it. I don’t get the flow. Like. AT ALL.]
「Fufufu, I’m joking though. I am a princess after all. Naturally since I’ve no fiancee, there’s no way I’ll be allowed to come by myself to visit a gentleman’s mansion. But, it’s another story entirely if it’s Satsuki-sama who wished for a night visit though. You’ve no need to hold back in this matter.」
「… Geez.」
Satsuki pouted at Charlotte’s declaration. And, at the moment, she didn’t dare to lock gaze with Rio, so as soon as her eyes met his, she’d averted her gaze.
Cha-Charlotte-sama’s atmosphere was the exact opposite of Flora-sama and Christina-sama. Well, there’s a fact that she’s still 14 years old, but still…
While all these were going on, Celia was observing Charlotte and Satsuki’s interaction when they were in Rio’s vicinity. Her smile when she observed Charlotte’s naivety was not an awkward one. Instead it was filled with dry humour. Even Christina was watching the exchange with a wry smile on her face. Just like what Celia did. On the other hand, Flora was different. Instead of smiling at Charlotte’s antics, she looked at Satsuki with a slightly envious gaze, taking every word said as the truth.
「Charlotte-sama is indeed that kind of a person. She possesses a flexible train of thought that was unbefitting of her upbringing as a royalty. And, since she’s like that, I was also raised in the same way since my childhood. We often used that weapon to trick someone. Just like what she did to Satsuki-sama just now.」
Liselotte heaved a sigh before telling that fact to Celia and the others.
「Oh my, if it’s in regard to flexible train of thought unbefitting of one upbringing, I feel that Liselotte is more abnormal than me. I am after all a royalty, a bird in the cage called a royal castle. I can’t even leave this castle by my own will. I can’t even decide whom I am going to get engaged to, nor can I fly flying around visiting every place like Liselotte.」
Hearing her remark about her, Charlotte turned around and responded.
「Ahaha …… 」
At that verbal attack, Liselotte could only smile awkwardly, since she couldn’t retaliate in fear of exposing a gap that might be taken advantage of by Charlotte.
「Liselotte-sama can decide her own fiancee? 」
Celia tilted her head as if she wasn’t sure of what she heard.
「Ye, yes. I’m deemed to be able to decide my own fiancee by my family since I managed to induce rapid growth of Almond and creating a thriving business in Rikka’s firm.」
After Satsuki, it was Liselotte’s turn to be showered by the Princesses attention. Unable to divert the attention to someone else, at the end she could only nod her head, feeling awkward.
「It was for those reason that Liselotte graduate from our kingdom’s Royal Academy by skipping grade you see.」
「I-It’s not just for that you kn-…..」
Liselotte’s word faltered when Charlotte brought up that subject. After all, at that time, just showing a good score and skipping grades wasn’t enough for her to alter her fate. She needed to show real results in a specific skill in order to do it. Then again, it wasn’t something that just anyone could do. In fact, it could be said that she was one of the rare women who were able to do it.
「Yes, speaking of skipping grade, I heard that Celia-san also graduated from Bertram Royal Academy by skipping grade. Since you also have brilliant achievements, hearsay though it might be in here, you should have the freedom to choose your own fiancee, right?」
Charlotte turned to ask Celia. Truthfully speaking, while such a case where a noble girl was able to freely choose their own marriage partner had never happened, as a woman who left such brilliant research results, she should have received VIP treatment in that regard.
「I was, more or less, allowed to have such freedom. But due to the drastic change in our kingdom, I’m forced to leave and couldn’t get in touch with my parent at home…」
「Well, you do have your own circumstances. So, should you choose to marry right now, it doesn’t mean that you’re tied in a marriage without your parents’ permission, correct? At any rate, it’s not like you can wait until the situation has calmed down. I mean, it’s not a good thing for a young woman to forgo their marriage…do you have a specific person in mind? 」
Charlotte asked, understanding Celia’s situation.
「EH, No, that is, Ahaha…. W-What should I do? 」
For a moment, Celia’s gaze turned to Rio before wandering away immediately. She tried to think up an answer for Charlotte’s question, but in the end she was unable to, puzzled.
「……. I see. Well, I guess it’s rude for me to intrude on such matters. I mean, there’s a saying that a woman is more charming if they’ve at least one secret. Don’t you think so, Haruto-sama? 」
Charlotte once again showed a mischievous smile as she glued herself to Rio. Meanwhile, Rio, who wanted to spontaneously agree with her words just now, looked at the girls around him. With him being in such a delicate situation as the sole man amongst the girls…
「Uhm, yes.」
He ended up agreeing, despite being quite awkward with his answer.
「That’s wonderful. I’m going to use this information as my future reference. Ah, it seems that we’re about to finish our walk around the garden…shall we enter the mansion now?」
Charlotte was smiling from ear to ear as she urged the others to enter the mansion. Soon, after checking the mansion’s interior and finding no fault or problem with the establishment, the mansion was publicly announced as Haruto Amakawa’s residence. [TL : I hate this chapter, I hate loli called Charlotte, I hate chapter with royalty discussion, I hate the fact that there’s no update for the raw in this last 6 month. ED: No worries, I loathe it too. With passion in fact.]
◇ ◇ ◇
That night, Satsuki invited Rio and Celia to a dinner with just the three of them in her private room. Both of them were sitting side by side while facing Satsuki who was sitting in front of them.
「Are you sure you want me here? I might just become a third wheel here…」
Celia asked after she sat on the prepared chair.
「Yes, I heard from Haruto-kun that you’re his benefactor, that’s why there’s something that I absolutely have to ask.」
Satsuki replied with a smile.
「The truth is, did you realize that you guys had met once before? 」
Rio suddenly asked to start the conversation.
「EH? Is that so? I do feels that way but….」
Satsuki was looking at Celia’s face, tilting her head with confusion etched all over her face.
「You have met her once before; during the evening party when you visited my Rock House, do you remember now?」
As she recalled it, the one she met in the Rock House aside from Miharu and co were Celia, who at that time was using her alias, and Aisia.
「When I visited your Rock House…. AH! Eh, Eh, EEEH…. B-But, her hair color is… And I’m sure that her name is Cecilia-san.」
It seems Satsuki did remember Celia. Though she did have to stare at Celia’s face for a while to properly remember her. Then again, it might be because she was puzzled since Celia’s eye colors were different than the one in her memories.
「You should be able to guess Celia’s current situation during the conversation with Your Majesty Francois, right?」
「Yes. He said that you left the kingdom with Princess Christina’s help when they tried to force you into a political marriage…」
「This is a secret, but that is what they explained to outsiders. In fact, she was under my custody right now. However, at that time you two met, I didn’t have the chance to explain her situation properly. That’s why I told her to use her alias and to disguise herself with a special magic tool to prevent anyone from recognizing her. Moreover, I’ve also told her about my previous life.」
Rio said, explaining Celia’s situation and the reason for the deception briefly.
「I see, so that’s the case…」
When she heard Rio’s last sentence, Satsuki felt just how much trust Rio had placed on Celia.
「Well, now, where shall we start our conversation? Erm, while it feels rather awkward to do this again…anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you once again, Celia-san.」
「Yes, likewise.」
Celia and Satsuki exchanged a slightly awkward greeting. Before long though, they threw pleasantries to one another as they enjoyed their dinner. After they were finished with the dinner though――,
「Since she knows about your previous life, there’s something that I want to ask Celia too… only if you allowed me though, Haruto-kun.」
Satsuki broke the ice while she looked at Celia.
「About what matters? 」
Rio wondered curiously.
「About Miharu-chan and the others.」
Satsuki told him frankly.
「…. Right. I think Celia won’t mind it.」
At that, Rio smiled wryly. Despite that though, he still agreed with her, already having some guesses to some extent.
「Let’s start right away then, but before that….what do you think about Miharu and the others when Rio wasn’t in front of them? 」
Satsuki asked Celia.
「I…. Am not in the royal castle at that time, so I have no way to know the details aside from what I heard from Haruto, but…」
Celia stalled――shooting a worried look as she spoke.
「In regard to Aki and Masato, I can somehow understand their reason, especially in Aki’s case, of wanting to go since their brother is… The hero of Saint Stella.」
「Yes, I feel the same way, but…」
However, it seemed to Rio that Satsuki wasn’t satisfied with just that.
「Moreover, Hero Satsuki-sama aside, don’t you think you should meet them again? As part of the nobility that you’ve become, I mean. While it may make them feel lonely, they should be able to understand that when one joins into the societies of royalties and nobility, it would be impossible for you to be together with them all day long. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to be separated forever after all. However, if they still insisted on their opinion, then I will respect their choice. I mean…I understand how it feels to want to meet with your families who are separated from you after all.」
When Celia expressed her opinion, Satsuki began to look suspicious. And with every passing word from Celia, that suspicion grew.
「Meeting again..? If it’s Haruto-kun and…final farewell? Hey, Haruto-kun, could it be…you didn’t explain the most fundamental matter to her?」
Satsuki sent a glance at Rio.
「I think I have told her the most fundamental matter but….」
Rio averted his line of sight awkwardly.
「What do you mean? 」
Celia asked, looking back and forth at the two of them, puzzled.
「You see, Miharu-chan and the others just disappear without telling Haruto-kun or I anything. Moreover, she left a verbal message saying that she don’t want to meet Haruto-kun.」
Satsuki told Celia the summary of THAT day’s event.
「EH, SERIOUSLY! ? 」
Celia unconsciously shouted, dumbfounded. She turned to look at Rio, as if asking him what exactly does that mean.
「Uhm… how should I say, I didn’t tell you about this matter since I don’t want to make you, who is already worried about your family, become even more worried…」
Rio said, dodging the question.
